Other diversity antenna devices have typically used two separate antennas. Previous related diversity antennas, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,503 and 6,052,093 (both incorporated in their entireties by reference herein) typically include one or more circuit board type dielectric substrate layers with one or more layers of conductive material such as plated copper, which is then processed to create the desired features in the conductive layers, such as by photolithography followed by etching in a corrosive acid bath. These related antenna methods are somewhat expensive to produce as requiring the use of expensive processing equipment and harsh chemicals for lithography, plating and etching. Furthermore, related antenna types typically employ multiple layers of conductive material. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,717,410; 5,166,697; 5,943,020; and 5,406,292 are incorporated in their entireties by reference herein.
One object of the present invention is to provide a high performance, low cost antenna which is easily manufactured.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flat, compact, diversity antenna without the use of harsh chemicals for plating, lithography and etching.
Another object of the invention is to provide a high performance, low cost diversity antenna from a single layer of conductive material.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antenna with spatial diversity.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antenna with both spatial and polarization diversity.
Another object of the invention is to provide slot elements within an antenna array useful for beam scanning applications.
Another object of the invention is to provide a high performance, low cost antenna which uses separate feed lines to each of the diversity antenna segments.
Another object of the invention is to provide a high performance, low cost diversity antenna which can further include a through-hole or crimp to mark the location of the 50 ohm feed point and to easily and inexpensively ensure proper location of the feedline(s) for impedence matching during mass assembly. An antenna with uniform performance is provided for wireless communication devices.
The present invention provides for a high performance, low cost diversity antenna which can be produced as a one-piece, single layer of conductive material. The conductive material may be stamped from sheet metal, foil or the like, to form the appropriate features required to produce the desired frequency band response. Numerous means of manufacturing can be employed to produce the invention. Manufacturing processes of particular significance include metal stamping process. Stamped metal embodiments of an antenna structure according to the present invention may be efficiently and economically produced. Descriptions of these embodiments are in no way meant to limit the scope of the invention, as any number of manufacturing methods known or developed by those skilled in the art can be employed. Such methods may include but are not limited to stamping, etching or milling of conductive sheets, thin conductive foil, milled, stamped or cut to specification, such as copper or aluminum foil. The invention may also be produced by deposited as a thin film, such as copper vapor deposition directly onto the housing of the wireless communication device, as well as other methods known or developed by those skilled in the art